Part love letter to the divas and gay female icons, part autobiographical story, A Stan Is Born returns to the Edinburgh Fringe for its encore run! Through original songs and a very personal story, writer and performer Alexis Sakellaris explores the world of stan culture. The obsessions, the icons, the highs, the lows and everything in between.
‘Stand Up For Your Stan’ opens the show with Sakellaris rattling off a roll call of pop icons that audiences might find themselves obsessed with. “Are you mad for Madonna or gagging on Gaga?” It’s a playful introduction to the world of stan culture, while Sakellaris’ T-shirt offers a simple definition of what a stan actually is. Stans are fans who take their admiration to the extreme, fiercely devoted to their chosen female powerhouse and willing to follow their every move. The term itself comes from Eminem’s 2000’s song Stan, a dark tale that blends the words ‘stalker’ and ‘fan’ to describe an increasingly obsessive supporter.
The show is also a coming-out story, intertwined with Sakellaris’ own obsession with the pop stars who shaped his childhood growing up in New York City before moving to Germany. These artists clearly played a significant role in his journey of self-discovery, and the show feels as much like a personal love letter to the women who helped shape him as it is a celebration of stan culture. It does, however, assume a certain level of pop-culture knowledge from its audience. There are plenty of specific references and in-jokes flying by, and the pace is relentless. For anyone unfamiliar with the artists or cultural moments being referenced, it can sometimes feel difficult to keep up with the sheer speed of it all.
On this particular performance, the energy felt somewhat erratic and, at times, all over the place. Sakellaris seemed to lose his place several times, which was made even more challenging by the number of latecomers entering the space and disrupting the flow of the piece. That said, it’s impossible to question Sakellaris’s knowledge of the subject. He is something of an encyclopaedia of Stan culture and clearly revels in sharing that passion with the audience.
The show is at its strongest when that enthusiasm comes through in the original songs, which Sakellaris both plays and performs himself. These moments feel clever, fun and full of personality, and offer the clearest glimpse of what A Stan Is Born does best.
★★★
Gifted ticket in exchange for an honest review.